Pyrophoric lighter



Sdqm b H KoePflfEu I NVENTO RS Auu+ Safari 5 Jan. 26, 1937. A. SCHEIBINGER ET AL PYROPHORIC LIGHTER Filed March 27, 1934 Patented Jan. 26, 1937 "UNITD PATENT OFHE and Sidney Koehlreuter,

Frankfort-on-the- Main, Germany, assignors to Alfred Dunhill of London, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application March 27, 1934, Serial No. 717,554 In Germany April 1, 1933 4 Claims.

All pyrophoric lighters must be filled with cotton wool or a, substance resembling cotton wool and the cotton wool or the like must be impregnated with liquid or semi-solid fuel. The defect of this impregnation resides in the fact that the fuel evaporates more or less rapidly, however efficiently the lighter may be closed.

According to the invention, a fuel carrier for use in pocket friction lighters is constructed in such a way that vaporization ceases on non-use, but that the cotton wool, into which the scraper or striker projects, becomes automatically saturated and re-saturated. vaporization thereby takes place so slowly that a filling is produced in the lighter which will last a month, half a year and possibly for years and troublesome refilling is unnecessary. The lighter, after having fulfilled its function for half a year or a year, may be thrown away, without having to be refilled in the meantime. If, however, the lighter is to be refilled after this long time, this may be effected by again pouring in the chemical substance, which is hereinafter again referred to, and thus producing fresh impregnation. This impregnation must, however, take place slowly, in a normal lighter at least 250 drops must be introduced, until the walls of the vaporizer have absorbed,

the process of filling must also be frequently in-' terrupted for a few minutes. This process of refilling, if to be undertaken at all, may be compared with a stamp pad, which has to be regenerated. In this case also fresh colour must be several times applied, until the stamp pad has again become completely saturated, after which the pad remains serviceable for months and longer. The chemically prepared permanent vaporizerconsists of a single stamped out felt block, it being particularly remarked in this connection that a hard stamped felt material is concerned.

The invention is hereinafter described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation illustrating one embodiment,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a modification, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the felt block.

The felt a, or the felt block consisting of one piece, as shown in Fig. 1, is provided with a cotton wool container d in the lower half thereof, into which the striker or scraper of the lighter extends with its asbestos insertion through a channel c. The felt block completely encloses this cotton wool or wedding container, only a single opening being left for introducing the striker. The chemically prepared permanent vaporizer can, of course, be adapted to lighters of any type. The permanent vaporizer, after 5 having been stamped out to the desired shape from the compact felt mass, is prepared by impregnating the same for several days in a vessel, until the compact felt mass has completely absorbed the chemicals and then gives up the same 10 in the course of months or a year to the cotton wool container or continuously feeds the latter by evaporization. Impregnation is effected in a solution of heavy benzine, amyl acetate and a number of other chemical compositions or com- 15 pounds, which combine together, and which, in contradistinction to benzine or benzene, only allow quite slow evaporization to take place, particularly in the compact stamped out and prepared felt mass. 20

In order to render the impregnated felt block capable of being stored for a long time before introduction into the container of a pocket lightcl and in order to retain the fuel therein and to remove the danger of fire, the felt block is com- 25 pletely surrounded by a casing of a substantial- 1y non-inflammable mineral substance which prevents the fuel from evaporating. A substance which hardens from the pulpy to pasty condition is best employed for the purpose. The prepara- 30 tion of the casing, particularly when producing the same from the pulpy condition, is simplified by casting or pouring the same round the block. Care should be taken to ensure that the opening of the channel, in which the striker is to be 35 inserted, is covered by the mass, but that the latter cannot flow into the channel. For this purpose it is advisable to insert a wad of cotton wool into the channel before the casting operation.

A mass, suitable for coating the felt pad in accordance with this invention is as follows:

Kgms. Baryta 0.5 Casein 0.25 Animal glue 0.25 Glycerine 0.05

The casein is boiled with the glue with 'constant stirring, the baryta, previously moistened 50 with water, is then added and the mass stirred until it acquires a white colour. The glycerine is then stirred in.

This embodiment is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

The block a is enclosed on all sides by .8. cas- 55 ing e made of a material which prevents the fuel from evaporating but is itself non-inflammable and which also covers the opening of the channel at e;.- In order that the pulpy casing mass e, when being applied to the block a, should not flow into the channel c, a wad of cotton wool d1 is inserted in the channel before coating the pad.

We claim:-

1. A self contained fuel filler for pocket lightersprovided with a striker comprising a com pact pad of felt impregnated with a liquid fuel and provided with a passage extending into the interior thereof adapted to house the striker and a hardened non-inflammable mineral-contaming plastic coating impervious to the passage of airand the fuel and intimately secured through cohesion to the surface of the pad, said coating completely covering the filler including the outlet of the passage.

2. A self contained fuel filler for pocket lighters, as claimed in claim 1 in which a filler of loose absorbent material is arranged in the bottom of said passage.

3. A method for the manufacture of a self contained fuel filler for pocket lighters provided with a striker, consisting in impregnating with a fuel a compact pad of felt provided with a passage extending into the interior thereof adapted to house the striker, inserting a plug into the opening of said passage, applying to the surface of said pad and over the exterior of said plug a non-inflammable mineral containing plastic mass which hardens in exposure to air, and causing the mass to harden to form an airand gas-tight coating intimately united with and cohering to the surface of the pad.

4. A self contained fuel filler, as claimed in claim 1, in which said coating consists of a noninflammable mass substantially containing by weight 47.6% of baryta, 23.8% of casein, 23.8% of animal glue and 4.8% of glycerine.

AUGUST SCHEIBINGER. SIDNEY KOEHLREUTER. 

